A SCHEME that would see vulnerable children sent to boarding schools could help to transform the lives of Scottish youngsters, school leaders claim.

Scottish boarding headteachers supported the call of the chairman of the Boarding Schools Association (BSA), who said that such a programme – now taking place in England – should be expanded. The initiative south of the Border has sought to encourage youngsters from difficult backgrounds to attend boarding school.

Andrew Hunter, headmaster at the Scottish boys-only boarding school Merchiston Castle in Edinburgh, backed the idea for Scotland.

"It's very interesting, as long as there is funding available from local councils," he said. "It's another way of helping some children. It's not right for every child, but it is an option. I'm certain that already in Scotland there may be some councils that have already looked at this concept."

He also called for the creation of state boarding schools in Scotland. "In England there are some really good state boarding schools, which are over- subscribed," he said.

"Scotland is a wonderful place, which values its education tremendously, but I think not having state boarding schools north of the Border is a problem because it limits parents' options.

"Scotland's education would be even better with the provision of state boarding schools."

Peter Hogan, headmaster of Loretto in Musselburgh, which mostly caters for boarders, was involved in the scheme at his previous school in Wales.

He said: "It's a great idea for a certain kind of individual and I think it also works out cheaper than keeping them in care.

"A lot of headteachers at boarding schools are willing to work with local authorities and say during term time we can provide accommodation, education, full welfare and pastoral care for certain children, and possibly respite care for those who look after them.

"We are open to negotiate with local authorities on this. It's not going to work for every child, but for some, if the circumstances are right, it would be a great opportunity."

Melvyn Roffe, BSA chairman, said that thousands of youngsters could see their lives transformed if they were given the chance to board.

An independent evaluation of a project in England, called the Boarding Pathfinder Scheme, found that while 76 young people were identified in the ten local authorities that took part, most were ruled out as unsuitable.

Seventeen were originally given a place, but only 11 were still there at the beginning of September last year.

Mr Roffe said the low take-up was due to a culture of "ignorance and prejudice" in many councils south of the Border. In his speech to the BSA's annual conference in Thame, Oxfordshire, today, Mr Roffe will call on ministers to ensure that local authorities take up boarding school places for vulnerable children.

"There remain too many people in the system who reject, on the basis of ignorance or prejudice, the very idea that a child might thrive at a boarding school," he will say.

"And too many others who mean well but find themselves incapable of doing the right thing for a child because of time- served bureaucratic procedures which, while purporting to serve children's interests, too often condemn them to an ever-diminishing circle of failure."

Mr Roffe, who is principal of Wymondham College, a state day and boarding school in Norfolk, said that more boarding schools would take part if the scheme were developed.

He will tell delegates: "We know that boarding school isn't the answer for every vulnerable child, of course not. But it could be the answer for a whole lot more."

Speaking ahead of the conference, Mr Roffe said that children at risk of being taken into care were among those who were the most likely to benefit from attending boarding school.

'It's been a huge benefit to me – it's made me much more independent'

FERGUS Donaldson, 17, from Dumfries, starts his day at 7:30am and heads to Merchiston Castle School's dining hall for breakfast before roll call.

Depending on what day of the week it is, Fergus may have an assembly to attend.

Lessons begin at 8:50am at the Edinburgh boarding school. During the winter, however, lessons stop after lunch three days a week to allow pupils to play sport.

On a Wednesday Fergus, who is in the lower sixth form at the school, helps to coach children at a nearby primary school in cricket and rugby as part of a scheme where Merchiston pupils help out in the local community.

After that, lessons begin again from 4:30pm to 6pm and then senior pupils will have two hours of homework, which they call "prep", for the next day. The day normally ends at 9pm with free time for pupils.

To make up for half days of lessons lost during the week to allow time for for sport, pupils have lessons on a Saturday. They then usually play sport on Saturday afternoons.

Fergus started at the school only this year, after attending a state day secondary, and wishes he had also studied for his GCSEs at Merchiston Castle.

He said: "It's been a huge benefit to me – it's made me much more independent."

His parents went to boarding school themselves and when they brought home brochures for Fergus's older brother to consider, he knew it was the right option for him also. "I had a look through them and knew I wanted to go as well," said Fergus.

"I would have liked to have come two years earlier, but I don't think I've missed out too much.

"I have my own shower, my own room and kitchen, so it's pretty good preparation for university life."

There are number of boarding schools for troubled youth. The facility and staff at these boarding schools are well trained and throughout the boarding duration, they take good care of these children having wide range of problems. But firstly, parents need to understand what is a best solution for their child, search an appropriate program, discuss it with other parents and after careful analysis enroll your son or daughter to such facility that will be very beneficial in helping them turn out to be a productive youth of a society.

Various forms of abuse can easily take place in private schools, "boot camps" and/or RTC's. And just like abuse in residential care has been ignored by many, abuse in "special schools/programs" can easily get dismissed, by many, if we let it. [Do we REALLY want to go there?]

If horrific things can be done to children in "poor" orphanages and children's homes, what makes anyone think horrible things won't be taking place in expensive private boarding schools? [As if (cruel) abusive power can never exist among the well-bred, the religious, and the wealthy!]

Several months ago I learned about a case of an Ethiopian boy adopted by a American minister and his wife, who was allegedly abused by his adoptive father and sent to Tranquility Bay to shut him up.

Unfortunately I couldn't find all the evidence needed to formally add it as a case to our website, but it inspired me at the time to at least add some more information about these torture camps boarding schools.

WWASPS has for years been one of the biggest of these operations that literally abducted children, hand-cuffed them and flew them to a foreign destination, where they would be interned and put under a disciplinary torture tough love regime. Just like with RAD therapy, all of this happened with parental consent and also like RAD therapy adoptees are being over-represented.

WWASPS was of course aware of the abuse taking place within their programs and therefore chose to locate their facilities in such remote places as Samoa.

Samoa has another connection to the child torture industry, though. Shortly after WWASP had to close their facility Paradise Cove on the Southern Pacific island, a new initiative from Utah led to the start-up of New Hope Academy. The facility was ran by Brigham Young University allumni Steve Cartisano, a Utah business man, who in the late 1980's ran an organization The Challenger Foundation, which organized wilderness survival camps. During one of those camps 16-year-old Kristen Chase died from heat stroke. Cartisano was charged with negligent homicide. Simultaneously five charges of child abuse were filed against him. In 1992, he was acquitted of all charges, however, his name was placed on a confidential child-abuse and neglect register maintained by the state Human Services Department. Being included on that register prohibits him from running a similar program in Utah again.

Cartisano moved on, tried to set up a program in Hawaii, but authorities there didn't condonde his business. He then had a short stint on the US Virgin Islands, but was soon kicked off the Island, again after abuse allegations. Similar attempts followed in Puerto Rico and Costa Rica, untill in 1998 he started doing business in Samoa, first working for New Hope Academy and after the demise of the facility, starting up Pacific Coast Academy.

New Hope Academy was founded by a Utah business man by the name of Dan Wakefield. Wait a minute? Who?

Dan Wakefield, indeed is not an unknown name to those following the dark side of adoption. He is one of the five people charged in the case of Focus on Children, a Utahn adoption agency, which coerced Somoan families into giving their children up for adoption. It seems Dan Wakefield knows how to select his business partners.

Which takes us full circle from a horrible adoption case, via torture camps boarding schools, back to a horrible adoption case, and even though we crossed the entire world from Eastern Europe to the Carribean and the Southern Pacific, we actually never left the state that so industriously contributed to the exploitation of children.

and if one thinks of it couldn't the kids have gone by flue powder to school each day...

but anyway... back to the real world...

my son just got back from an RTC, run by a mega stock trading organization out of Tenn. His RTC was in Virginia... He was there over a series of bad events... he has been home a little over a month...

but at that place; his tested IQ is 40 (sure he has been through a lot and has had tested IQs all over the place... as high as 87) but the system considers him to have an IQ of 40 now... what does that mean... that means he should be treated or supervised like about a 4-6 year old child tops...

I visited him.... most of the time I went he was very nasty dirty... (I'd been charged with neglect letting him walk around like that) they lost 2 pairs of glasses (who is at fault when a 4 year old looses glasses?) he had a broken foot that went untreated; the never cut his nails; he was never encouraged to shave nor did they shave him; he was severely consitpated; they placed him on dope that kills people's livers;

and they basically did nothing with him

:(

sure wish he never went there.... at the time my hands were tighed it was he goes there or you let the school district get him sent to jail again :(

but Thank God that is over

the kicker to me was the state (adoption sub medicaid) paid them apparently $16,000 per month of his stay there....

Ironically, the owners of Focus on Children, dumped their own adopted children in Samoa, the owners of FOC said these two adopted dears failed to BOND. How convenient, you run an adoption scam out of a foreign country, telling the biological parents that their educational system basically is not good enough for their children, encouraging them to relinquish their parental rights in English documents and let American's foot their children's education until they are the magic 18, and then their little ADULT child will be returned to them. Yeah, it kinda make sense,,,if you cannot understand a single word that your are reading.

Sorry, got off track, so your adopted kids from Romania, are not bonding after 12 years, so give them away.
Give them away to REAL ADULTS who value them and love them to death enough to give them what they do need to bond which is love love love love love love love, and then more unconditional LOVE and understanding and communication. Pure and simple.

So Wakefield was involved in a camp for the little mischievous children, most children are mischievous that is what is so darn special about them.

And why am I not surprised that you ended up back in UTAH after all of your research, of all the places, low and behold. Where little adopted bees are treated like workers and drones. Beehive state, yes, they are so busy buzzing their adopted children out of their homes into far away boot camps, for someone else to raise, while their out adopting more to bring into their hives.

you run an adoption scam out of a foreign country, telling the biological parents that their educational system basically is not good enough for their children, encouraging them to relinquish their parental rights in English documents and let American's foot their children's education until they are the magic 18, and then their little ADULT child will be returned to them. Yeah, it kinda make sense,,,if you cannot understand a single word that your are reading.

Take this into a bigger context: You take children away from decent would-be-parents, (because they show signs of being too poor, too ignorant... too "stupid"), and you give them to those who seem much better (because they have money, "contacts", and the promise of better future opportunity)... only to learn this "better" environment is a very different sort of dangerous for a child. Where is the better provision if a child's safety and well-being are still at risk?

Beehive state, yes, they are so busy buzzing their adopted children out of their homes into far away boot camps, for someone else to raise, while their out adopting more to bring into their hives.

It's all about Final Placement, and the religious connotations are HUGE.

Someone is serving someone, because that's what they have been told to do. Bring more in, the promise and future reward is great. The future kingdom, with all its many riches, will be yours to share, provided all the people (all the workers) are serving the great lord (and master). Who cares if the great master, at the end, leads the flock to drink to a formal toast and speech...(don't worry, it's not alcohol, it's fruit flavored Kool-aid!). Didn't they all do well and good?

"Ah, let's celebrate, my angels!"

Great deceivers. They are everywhere, and it seems their favorite prey are the small and the vulnerable... the ones who do not question too much. [And the ones who do stand and question? Well, they can be eliminated and removed.]

People who collect children, for the sake of pleasing other adults, scare me.

While the only "true" religious "SAINTS" are building up their BEE HIVES,

using children as the wax,

the structure fails. The little potential "saints" or drones fail under the pressure of life in "happy valley".

Utah, has the highest rate of depression in the USA. Utah has the highest rate of suicide in the USA.
The LDS faith pushes "happiness", always wear a smile on your face, even after I have abused and neglected you and for the sake of Joseph Smith do not tell a soul of your suffering, not even your Bishop!
LDS Queen Bees are a perfect example, queen bees of the mormon beehive in Utah, are the largest populace to pop antidepressants. The stress of building the hive with workers and drones, while at the same time being a slave to your master husband, seems to be the cause. Utah also has one of the highest divorcee rates in the USA.

Little drones are told not to masturbate. Countless youths in "happy land" who are trying to be happy, find them selves un able to stop masturbating once they start. The "CHURCH" tells the drones to act as drones, and do not touch the opposite sex, until your married. Young drones, who are attracted to other male drones particularly have trouble focusing on the teachings of the "CHURCH" (one and only). This has led to such a high suicide rate in "happy valley". After the drones find self pleasure, the guilt of the teachings of the church kick in, and stay around, and the pressure builds both physically for release and mentally from guilt.
LDS drones are frequently asked when they bring home a friend, "are they a member". (sounds cultish)

But alas, it is OK for a "higher order" in the church to sexual abuse the drones. As a matter of fact, when they do they are protected by the "Mormon shield" of the law. And it goes without saying parents can abuse a wayward drone, they do not "toll the Mormon sainthood".

Focus on Children, was an adoption agency that went to Samoa, and took drones from one strong, loving family structure, where the innocent drones live perfectly simple lives and were surrounded by their "bee colony" and brought over to "FAT CITY, Utah, to be put into unfamiliar, chaos , dysfunctional "bee colonies" with more expensive honey. These innocent drones will be white washed into believing all the silliness how wonderful it was to be adopted by Americans, and live in the land of PLENTY.

Bee's wax!

If you boil your honey, it will be runny.
Runny enough to make "happy juice" out of it to be enjoyed by all the Saints.

Does anyone honestly think only one church -- one religion -- one land -- is doing all sorts of serious harm to children? [What religion, what following is the "the exception" to that truth?]

I remember a long time ago, I was struggling with a personal decision, and my "Christian-friend", with all her sweet/good intentions said, "WWJD".

I looked at her with that WTF expression I'm known to get.

She asked me, "What would Jesus do?"

"Well, I guess he would not kill the bastard, or make his life miserable... so OK, I will try to find a more peaceful solution, but let it be said, I ain't no Jesus."

All this talk about religious movements... Catholics, Protestants, Mormons, ( hell, throw Muslims, Jehovas and Jews in the mix, just for good measure...) When it comes to religion and child placement, what WOULD Jesus/Jehova/God/Mohammad do?

Would any of those "higher powers" lie, trick, or deceive? Would any really want to punish, hurt and degrade the little ones put in their "safe" care? Would any send the children to even MORE foreign places, risking more corruption, neglect and abuse? How many of these high-powers would be willing to sacrifice a child to death, just to prove a power-point? [scary stuff, when you think about it!]

Based on what I have read, I would like to believe those who claim to be Jesus-like, (in mind and spirit), would NOT be willing to take and sell a child, just to protect his own hide and save his own mortal soul.

We are such a disposable society. Everything is disposable, including children. The abortion haters should be forced to provide supervised quality homes that they themselves live in too, to all the unwanted children and see for themselves- sometimes death is a more humane alternative than to bring another human into this Godforsaken land we call home. I can't see any alternative but to completely destroy our systems and rebuild a system made of rules designed by those of us who weren't flushed, and lived through the catastrophy ourselves. Screw the do-gooders, and all their money. No one pays but the victims.

The abortion haters should be forced to provide supervised quality homes that they themselves live in too, to all the unwanted children and see for themselves- sometimes death is a more humane alternative than to bring another human into this Godforsaken land we call home.

That would all be fine and good if not for one simple truth -- many abortion haters belong to very strong religious groups.... groups that have a very long history of punishment, deprivation and "following tradition", like homeschooling. Care to be born-again, and beaten to death because you couldn't get your verses right?

Which is worse, the sting of the queen bee, which we know is deadly, to anyone in her colony, included and especially her adotped drones, who do not submit to her rule, thus no attachment

OR

being dumped in a foreign country, knowing no one, put in a place to keep you quiet, for years and years and years and years, then presto your an adult and do not belong. Your roots, your heritage were stripped from you many many years ago. Are you Romanian, are you Samoan, are you American, a very perplexing situation to be in if your an adopted drone and have been sent to a colony where you know nada and your old colony has filled up your space with new adopted drones. So the vicious cycle begins again. The drones who do not submit to the ruling queen bee are stung or even worse sent out of the colony. Adopted drones, easily replaced by adults who decide what is the best for themselves and not the innocent, and vulnerable.

Love tea, but without the honey that smells of corruption and religious doctrines. A religious environment that encouage queen bees to collect kids to fill capacity because of a religious quota is just too sticky.

Adding to this is the perputal insult of money, power and a religion based on hierarchy where adopted drones only value in the colony is one of numbers.

BJ Lifton (an adoptee) wrote a book titled "Betwixt and Between". I think if I were to pen a book, I should have a title like, ""Between two Hells". <Ah, sniffing the sweet smell of a little analogy-mix>

Which of the two evils would I prefer? The sting of a Queen Bee (for correction and a greater-good) or

being dumped in a foreign country, knowing no one, put in a place to keep you quiet, for years and years and years and years, then presto your an adult and do not belong. Your roots, your heritage were stripped from you many many years ago.

As an adult, and given the way I was razed, I choose curtain #2, thank-you. I've grown sick of the stench of fake-love and artificial sweetness; I have grown tired and debilitated from the venom that's been poured into old wounds. I could use a new way of life, and I sure as hell would like to live among a better, kinder, more gentler breed of beings. Yes, the more I think about it, the more I would love to see radical change.... but who can be trusted when all that seems ideal turns out to be more of the same?

Here's the thing.... we're not taking about adults being stung for wrong-doing or adults being sent away because they are no good. We're talking about children, with growing bodies and developing minds... children who may or may not hate who they are... children who have no idea what will be done and what will become. There are many (blogging) "foreign"/trans-racial adoptees who can answer this good and cryptic question far better than I ever could. However, I must confess, I tend to have favorites, and those favs of mine, I like to have and keep, (and go back to, over and over again). One of the most beautiful most eloquent voices I have had the pleasure of getting to know and read has been written by Kimette. You may read her blog-posts here: http://poundpuplegacy.org/blog/250 (Savor her heart-breaking beauty.)

37 counts alleging the defendants encouraged or induced illegal aliens to enter or reside in the USA.

After reading Kimette's blog. I had to walk away without comment. It was too powerful, too painful, too disturbing, her writing impacted me, and left an imprint.

Would love to read what Kimette thinks of how a LDS judge discounted the victims of Focus on Children adoption agency. A judge who said, that the victims, all holding membership in the LDS church supported the Scott and Karen Banks team of child wrestlers. Would that be because they just happened to have residing with them a Samoan, born and bred child or two.

What about the real victims in the Scott and Karen Banks child wrestling. The children, are they without a voice. How do they feel, or will feel when they know the truth of their adoption. Judge Sam's sentence is an insult to victims of adoption. What about the two brothers who ran away from the fat smiling waiting Americans at the airport in New Zealand, try to escape ADOPTION, trying to get back on their plane to return to their home and mum and dad.

Where did Baby Heta fit into the sentencing of the Banks duo.

Just in case any one has forgotten.
It was a federal indicment, of 135 count. That is a big number

6 counts of monetary transaction in property derviced from unlawful activity
19 counts of laundering of monetary instruments
37 counts bring illegals into the USA
37 counts of alleging the defendants
2 counts of conspiracy
are we up to 135 yet

who cares,
81 children. 81 children 81 children and maybe more
81 children with memories, hearts, souls and LOSS huge loss

I agree that boarding schools can help some children cope up or change for the better. One of the reasons why a child could behave mischievously is his or her long-term attachment to parents. This becomes a consequence and sending the child to a boarding school (especially where parents can just do a few visits per term) COULD teach him or her the lesson of being independent and behaving well.

I do hope there will be more boarding schools available.

“I do come home at Christmas. We all do, or we all should. We all come home, or ought to come home, for a short holiday - the longer, the better - from the great boarding school where we are forever working at our arithmetical slates, to take, and giv” - Charles Dickens

As a former private school student victim from Scottish Primary, the idea of more private schools ANYWHERE, let alone Scotland (where corporal punishment is the norm) is pure INSANITY. I remember when my sister's hands were scarred from a meter stick slapped across them because she didn't know how to knit and purl (while the boys took gym, the girls knit).... that is the Scottish school system for you! Lovely! You are advocating for more of that? Sorry, but you're not informed.

Boarding schools are potential breeding ground for abusers and horrible things done behind closed doors (often with bible in tow) where the victims are minors and have NO voice or legal representation other than their crazed parents who do not want to admit bad parenting or bad choices.

It's time people realize that just like the adoption industry, the "boarding school" and "treatment" facilities are nothing more than a ploy for desperate people's money, where vulnerable kids (some needing REAL help) often become victims.

i liked the Dickens quote.As far as my opinion is concerned,i truly agree with what you said.i know for a fact that my brother's life will have been so much better if we had made him to go to a boarding school.Instead,his bad behavior lead to a lot of problems and i dare not say where he is right now.I just wish parents will not do the same mistakes as our family did.God bless from Vanessa,a happy single mother

I gotta admit, this has become a most interesting thread, because first I see the question: where should a child be sent? Next I see: who is the lesser of two evils? Now I see a question about length of time, and how it is spent:

i know for a fact that my brother's life will have been so much better if we had made him to go to a boarding school.Instead,his bad behavior lead to a lot of problems and i dare not say where he is right now.I just wish parents will not do the same mistakes as our family did.

I too wish my A parents sent their bio-son away to a boarding/military school. Instead, they kept him home... kept pretending everything was OK. The year I got married (and allowed to move-away), I told my Aparents why I didn't like to visit. Instead of seeing the problem as a whole, my Aparents decided I was trying to be a trouble-maker, ruining all they created. [A ruined reputation WILL NOT be tolerated, so it was decided, I must go.] Perhaps, had their son's anger-issues been treated by patient, compassionate people, things would have been very different.

Funny thing about protecting the wrong people -- the truth always comes out in the end. The way I see it: too much damage, done for too long a time, can render damage "permanent".

So allow me to take this discussion one step further. Looking back on my own life, I can see how and where bad dysfunctional problems in my Afamily began. It all began when someone came to the wrong conclusion. Bad choices were made, but ego, pride, social status prevented anyone from doing the right thing. The wrong person was protected, and with that err in judgement, severe consequences developed.

I look back at my own life and I see very clearly, so much damage could have been prevented, had only one person say, "Stop. We're going in the wrong direction". My Aparents are not bad evil people... they simply needed help. My Amother has had serious emotional issues all throughout her life-time. She needed professional help. Instead, she got a family doing all they can do to pretend nothing was seriously wrong.

Enter the adopted child who sees life, things and people very differently.

I don't know if my placement with that particular family could have been prevented. But I do know one thing: I always wished things were different. I always wished my Adad would grow a set, admit to his mistake, and take care of his wife, and get her treated. She needed so much to be changed, readjusted and fixed. She needed long-term professional help, and I wish he and she got this help BEFORE bringing another child into their home. [Both pregnancy and adoption CAN be prevented...]

Here's the part that amuses me. We hear/read so much about the bonding/attachment problems adoptees have. Truth is, I know myself. I know my need to be a part of a loving family is sooooo HUGE, I will do anything to make a living situation better.... it's just my programmed-nature. So if I were granted a re-script, understanding I still had to be adopted by the people "chosen" to adopt me, this is how I'd re-write the setting for the adopted daughter of the mentally ill. I would have my Amother leave for days, weeks, months at a time, and I would have my A/father's family help care for his 2 young kids. I would have my Adad as primary parent, and I would find a way to make sure my Amother received really good care. All that 'this is temporary', and all that moving around that goes with single-parenting, would have been a much better (less angry and less dysfunctional) family-experience than the sort of 'permanent' we all had to learn to live with, and accept.

With that, I wish adults would think before they act, knowing the decisions they make will have a long-term effect. (I believe Dobson calls this 'natural consequence'.)